Spreader mechanism for sewing-machines.



0. s. SEYMOUR. 4 SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED INC-27.1915.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEEI' I.

atiowmgb D. S. SEYMOUR.

SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 050.21. 1915.

1,256,271. Patented Feb. 12, 1918 6 SHEETS-SHEET 2 D. S. SEYMOUR.

SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MAGHINfS.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1915.

Patented Feb-'12, 191-8.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

canoe/"tom 0. s. SEYMOUR. SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-21.1915 Patented Feb. 12,1918 s SHEETS-SHEH 4.

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D. S. SEYMOUR. SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES. .APPLICA'HON FILED DEC-2], 1915. i

. Patented Feb, 12, 191&

n. s. SEYMOUR. SFREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

.APPucAnoiq FILED 05c. 21. 1915.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6'.

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- DUDLEY S. SEYMOUR, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPEOIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONZOF ILLINOIS.

SPREADER MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Application filed December 27, 1915. Serial No. 68,787.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUDLEY S. SEYMOUR, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spreader Mechanism for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and-to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in overseaming sewing machines, and more particularly to the spreader and the operating mechanism therefor. v

.An object of the invention is to provide a spreader operating mechanism wherein the end of the spreader when it engages the looper thread below the plane of the work support is moving in a direction substantially vertical and which when reaching the end of its stroke above the work support is moving substantially horizontally, said spreader being operated by devices which are constructed so as to move the spreader through an arc of ninety degrees or more without binding.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spreader operating mechanism by which the spreader will be given an ex v tended dwell at the lower end of its stroke so as to permit the looper to move forward into the'needle loop to the end of its stroke and thereby properly position the looper thread for engagement by the spreader.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a spreader operating mechanism wherein the spreader is mounted to swing about a fixed pivot located close to the under face of the work support, and said spreader is operated by toggle links which are moved into alineinent for giving a dwell to the spreader when said spreader is at the rear or lower end of its stroke.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in section. showing a sewing machine having the bodied therein;

improvements em- Fig. is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, showing the looper operating mechanism, the spreader operating mechanism, and the feeding mechanism;

. Fig. 3 is a view, partly in end elevation and partly in section, witlrcertain' of the parts omitted and showing more particularly the manner of mounting the spreader and operating the same;

Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale, partly in front elevation and partly in section, showing the needle, the looper and the spreader, and a portion of the operating mechanisms for the same;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the spreader operating mechanism and the needle with the spreader at the forward end of its stroke;

Fig. 6 is a similar view, 'but showing the spreader at the rear end of its stroke;

Fig. 7 is a similar view, but showing the spreader partially moved forward;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view showing the relative positions of the needle, the spreader, the looper and the material, the spreader being at the forward end of its stroke;

Fig. 9 is a similar View, but showing the spreader at the rear end of its stroke;

Fig. 10 is a similar view, but showing the spreader moved forward to a point for engaging the looper thread;

Fig. 11 is a similar view, but with the spreader moved farther forward carrying the looper thread around the edge of the material;

Fig-12 is a plan view of the end of the spreader, showing the looper thread loop held for the needle to enter the same;

Fig. 13 is a view, showing the upper face of the material stitched on the machine;

Fig. 14 is a similar view of the lower face of the material;

Fig. 15 is a front view showing a portion of the material, the needle in section. the

spreader, said spreader holding a looper thread loop for the entrance of the needle;

Fig. 16 is a side view of the same, the spreader and the thread linger carried thereby being in section.

The invention is shown as embodied in a sewing machine having a supporting bed 1 carrying a standard 2 having an overhanging arm 3. At the forward end of the over- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Felt). 12, 1918.

hanging arm is a needle supporting head *1. The needle bar 5 reciprocates in the sup-.

porting head and carries a needle (3. Said needle bar is reciprocated by a needle lover I pivoted at 8 to the overhanging arm and connected by a link 9 to the needle bar. Said needle lever 7 is oscillated by a link 10 which coiiperates with an eccentric on the main shaft 11 of the machine.

The material to be stitched is carried by a work support 12. A presscr foot 13 holds the material on the work support, and a feed dog ll advances the material over the work support. Said feed dog is carried by a feed .bar 15 which is raised and lowered by a suitable cam or eccentric on the main shaft 11, and said feed bar is moved back and forth by an eccentric strap 16 which is connected to the feed rocker, 17 at the rear side of the machine, and the feed bar 15 is also pivoted to said feed rocker. These parts are of the usual construction and will not need further description. 7

Cooperating with the needle beneath the work support is a thread vcarrying looper 18. Said thread carrying looper 18 is fixed to a rock shaft 19 mounted in suitable bearings carried by a bracket 20. This rock shaft has an arm 21 with which a link 22 is connected. The link 22 at its other end is con- This looper mechanism forms the subject of a copending application, Serial No. 68,788, filed of even date herewith and is, therefore, only claimed herein in combination with the spreader mechanism.

Cooperating with the looper 18 is a spreader .29. This spreader 29 has a forked forward end 30 which is adapted to engage the looper thread and also a spaced supporting finger 31 which is secured by a suitable screw 32 to the shank of the spreader, and this finger extends substantially parallel to the lower member of the forked end 30.

The spreader 29 is mounted in an arm 33 and is secured therein by suitablescrews 34. The arm 33 is fixed to the outer end of a short shaft 35. Said shaft 35 is' mounted in a bracket 36. The bracket 36 is secured by .nacaavi oted to an arm ll which is fixed to a short shaft -12. The shaft i2 is also mounted in suitable bearings in the bracket 36. The pivot pin connecting the link lO and the arm ii is provided with a ball stud to which is connected a link 43. The link l3 at its other end is connected to a ball stud it at the lower end of a lever 4:13 which is fulcrumed at 46 on the standard The other end of the level; is connected to an eccentric strap 47, which cooperates with an eccentric 18 on the main shaft 11.

in Figs. 13 and 1i of the drawings, is

shown a fabric F which is stitched on a sewing machine containing the mechanism above described. The needle thread is indicated at fabric. The looper as it entersthe needle loop is moving toward the standard of the machine. The spreader is mounted to swing about a fixed pivot which is close to the under face of the work support and near the path of movement of the needle. The sup porting. arm for the spreader .is in the form an elbow which permits this mounting of the spreader at a point closeto the under face of the work support, as stated, and at the same time the end of the spreader may be moved to a point above the work support and suffi ciently close to the material to permit the needle to enter the looper thread loop carried thereby. The spreader, when at the lower end of its stroke is disposed only a short distance below the path of movementof the looper. The end of the spreader at this time lies in a horizontal line substantially passing through the pivotal point of the spreader and, therefore, said spreader, when engaging the looperthread, moves in substantially a vertical direction. This moving of the spreader at right angles across the path of movement of the looper insures that thespreader will with certainty engage the looper thread.

In order that. the spreader may move as above stated,'it is necessary for said spreader to move through an arc of at least'ninety degrees. The spreader as also noted above, is pivoted close to the worksupport. By the toggle mechanism-shown and described the spreader may be given this-long movement without any binding of the operating parts for the spreader. As clearly shown ilrFig. 6, the operating arm 39 extends rearwvardly of the supporting shaft for the spreader and is substantially horizontal while in Fig. 5 when the spreader is at the upper end of its stroke this arm 39 is substantially vertical. The toggle links 40 and -21 swing this an as through its long are movement of ninety degrees or more without any binding action whatever.

he spreader is formed with a forked end which engages and positively holds the vided with a supporting linger 31. This supporting linger as clearly shown in Fig.

15 of the drawing is directly in rear of the needle when the spreader is at the forward end of its stroke and as the needle comes down into the looper thread loop held by the spreader the nest lo thread indicated at n (see 16) is laid over the supporting finger 31. The purpose of this supporting finger is to take the slack out of the needle thread and hold the previously interlocked loops in the position to which they have been drawn on the setting of the previous stitch.

As will be apparent from Fig. 3 of the drawing, the spreader swings about an axis inclined to the work. support and, therefore, the spreader moves in a plane which cuts the wor 1 support at an acute angle. This enables the spreader to engage the looper for engagement by the spreader after the needle has entered the loop formed in the looper thread by the spreader. The spreader then at once releases the looper thread loop.

In Tlg. 8 of the drawings, the needle is shown as just about to enter the loop carried by the spreader. lugs, the spreader is shown as fully retracted and the looper is just about to enter the new needle loop. The spreader must remain in this position until the looper has moved to the forward end of its stroke, as shown in Fig. 10.- The toggle link. construction above referred to accomplishes this function. After the looper-thread loop has been caught by the spreader, then said spreader, moves, as shown' in Fig. 11, to position the looper threadloop for the entrance of the needle. I

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set rorth in the appended claims.

In Fig. 9 of the draw- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A sewing machine including in combination a work support, a needle, means for reciprocating the needle, a thread carrying looper coiiperatiug with said needle beneath the work support, a spreader cotiperating with the-looper beneath the plane of the work support and with the needle above the work support, a lixed pivotal support for the spreader, and means for oscillating the spreader, said oscillating means including toggle links positioned so as to move into alinement when the spreader is at the rear end of its stroke for giving an extended dwell to the spreader.

2. Asewing machine including in combination a work support, a needle, means for reciprocating the needle, a thread carrying looper cooperating with said needle beneath the work support, a spreader cooperating with the looper beneath the plane of the work support and with the needle above the work support, a fixed pivotal support for the spreader, said pivotal support being located adjacent the under face of the work support and adjacent the path of the needle, and means for oscillating said spreader, said oscillating means including toggle links arranged to move into alinement when the spreader is at the rear end of its stroke for giving an extended dwell to said spreader. I

supporting shaft, a second arm pivoted between said plates, a link connecting said arms and means for oscillating said lastnamed arm for impartingmovements to the spreader.

4. A sewing machine including in combination, a worksupport, a needle, means for reciprocating the needle; a spreader cooperating with the needle above the work support, a-. supporting shaft for. said spreader 5. A sewing machine including in combination, a Work support,a needle, means for reciprocating the needle, a spreader, cooperating with the needle above the work support, a supporting shaft for said spreader said shaft being located beneath the Work support and adjacent the under face thereof, a bracket for supporting said spreader,

said bracket including spaced plates having.

bearings for the supporting shaft for the spreader, an arm fixed to said shaft,a second arm pivoted to saidsupport'ing plates and directly beneath the supporting shaft. I

for the spreader, a link connetting said arms,

an operating member attached to the pivotal connection between the las'tnamed arm and the link for oscillating the arm and imparting movements to the spreader. 1

In testimony whereof, I aflix my sign'ature, in thepresence of two Witnesses. .1 DUDLEY S. SEYMjOUR,

Witnesses: S. GEORGE TATE,

A. F. BJREDSHALL. 

